The present invention generally relates to a cleaning device and, more specifically, to a device for cleaning buffing and polishing pads of different types including those made from wool and/or foam.
A buffing pad is used to provide a finish to the surface of a painted object such as a vehicle (car, boat, plane, etc.) or related part. In the past, such buffing pads have either been thrown away after use or cleaned in an inefficient and laborious manner. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for cleaning such pads. As an example in the prior art the pad(s) was cleaned by scraping off debris with a wire brush, washed by hand or in a standard or commercial household washing machine and dried in a standard household or commercial dryer. Some other prior units clean the pad while it is still attached to a hand held buffing tool such as a motor powered by compressed air or electricity. In this unit the operator inserts the pad into a bucket filled with cleaning solution and activates the tool. As can be appreciated it is dangerous to clean the pad while attached to an electrically powered tool. Further, any tool that must be hand held during cleaning of the pad(s) wastes time and is potentially harmful to the operator.
Accordingly, the invention comprises: a device and method for cleaning a pad comprising: a housing for holding a liquid; first means for supporting and for rotating the pad within the liquid to remove debris therefrom. More specifically, the pad is supported on a rotatable shaft and is cleaned as it rotates in cleaning solution. Positioned near the front face (and optionally the rear face) of the pad is an aerating tube, fed by compressed air, which agitates the cleaning solution to enhance the cleaning of the pad as it rotates. When the cleaning solution is removed from the housing the compressed air directly impinges on the pad reducing drying time. The pad can also be dried simply by rotating the pad in ambient air in the work chamber or in combination with the impinging compressed air.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings: